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Wildlife all around us: A second grade guide to city wildlife Wildlife all around us: A second grade guide to city wildlife

education education

Melanie Anne Pendegraft

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WILDLIFE ALL AROUND US: A SECOND GRADE GUIDE

TO CITY WILDLIFE EDUCATION

A Project

Presented to the

Faculty of

California State University,

San Bernardino

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree

Master of Artsin

Education:

Environmental Education

by

Melanie Anne Pendegraft

June 2006

WILDLIFE ALL AROUND US: A SECOND GRADE GUIDE

TO CITY WILDLIFE EDUCATION

A Project

Presented to the

Faculty of

California State University,

San Bernardino

by

Melanie Anne Pendegraft

June 2006

Approved by:

Dr. Darleen Stoner, First Reader

Dr. Gary Negin, /Second Reader

ABSTRACT

Wildlife All Around Us: A Second Grade Curriculum

Guide to Local Wildlife provides opportunities for second

grade students to explore, study, and apply critical ■

thinking skills in reference to the local wildlife and

current environmental issues. The lessons in this guide

are place-based in and around the school setting, creating

a genuine and authentic learning experience. This guide

offers teachers the opportunity to integrate environmental

education into their core subjects, specifically language

arts and science, while using the local outdoor settings

for explorations. Lessons are correlated to the California

State Content Standards for Language Arts and Science as

well as Environmental Principles.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................ iii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .......................................................................... 1

General Statement of the Problem ........................................... 2

Significance of the Project ........................................................ 3

Statement of Needs ............................................................................... 4

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

History of Environmental Education ..................................... 7

Place-Based Education ....................................................................... 13

Standards in Education ..................................................................... 17

CHAPTER THREE: Methodology ....................................................................... 20

Development................................................................................................. 20

Design......................................................... 21

Summary...................................................................................... 23

CHAPTER FOUR: IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATORS ................................... 25

APPENDIX A: HABITAT LESSONS ..................................................................... 27

APPENDIX B: WILDLIFE LESSONS .................................................................. 50

APPENDIX D: CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES, ENGLISH-LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS, AND SCIENCE STANDARDS FOR GUIDE ..................................... 71

REFERENCES................................................................................................................. 7 8

iv

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

As an elementary educator concerned with the

environment, I decided to write a curriculum guide that

would provide teachers with lessons they could use to

teach their students about the local habitat and wildlife

and how to protect it. This guide was developed in

response to personal experience with students who

disregard the importance of habitat and wildlife by

throwing trash on the ground and disrupting nature. I have

seen many students who seem to lack knowledge about their

local habitat and wildlife, but when provided with that

knowledge, became eager to learn about how they could help

the environment. Teaching students about the environment

and empowering to make positive differences in their

communities were the purposes of this curriculum guide.

The lessons were also developed with the teacher in mind,

requiring few materials and limited preparation, so as to

increase the likelihood of their use in the classroom. It

is my hope that environmental education will be integrated

through the core curriculum in public schools so that

students will grow up with a greater sense of

environmental responsibility.

1

General Statement of the Problem

With current trends in education primarily focusing

on language arts and math, our children may be lacking the

knowledge and experience to become environmentally

responsible citizens. With some scientists warning that

human interaction with the environment is affecting

resource depletion and species extinction, it is critical

that our public education incorporate environmental

education within the school day to create a generation of

citizens able to' work toward the sustainability of Earth,'

its natural resources, and the perpetuation of plant and

animal species. I believe that educating children about

the importance of local habitat and wildlife may help to

improve the way these students and their families respond

to the environment. If more emphasis in education was

placed on caring for our local environments, children will

grow up with a better idea of how human actions affect

habitat and wildlife, as well as how to be environmentally

responsible citizens. With this knowledge, future

generations will be able to make choices that preserve and

protect habitat and wildlife.

It has been my observation as a classroom educator

that city wildlife and habitats are often ignored when

wildlife education is presented to students. This lack of

2

focus on wildlife in backyards, schoolyards, and public

parks means that students may be unaware of how to respect

and take care of local habitat and city wildlife. City

wildlife constitutes those plant and animal species which

live near and in cities and whose existence is directly

affected by human inhabitance. The focus of this

curriculum guide is to provide opportunities for

second-grade students to understand the impacts human

settlement has on city wildlife as well as ways in which

they can respect and protect habitats and wildlife in

their city communities.

Significance of the Project

Wildlife All Around Us is a second-grade

cross-curricular education guide designed to provide

wildlife education by providing lessons and activities

that are easily accessible, require minimal preparation or

resources, focused on schoolyard or city wildlife, and

take place in outdoor settings. The wildlife education

lessons aim to enable children to learn about local

wildlife in order to develop responsible decision making

skills concerning their local environment.

Developing sensitivity in students for their

environment and the local wildlife is essential in the

3

effort to ensure sustainability of our Earth. As a basis

for developing this environmental sensitivity, this guide

offers standards-based lessons for second-grade students

focused on using outdoor areas in the community. The

lessons are specifically designed to be integrated across

all subject matter, applying a multitude of learning

modalities. The lessons aim to enable children to access

knowledge about habitat and city wildlife, examine and

study the outdoors in their community, and apply problem

solving skills to common community problems.

Statement of Needs

Human interaction with the environment can negatively

affect the survivability of some plant and animal species.

There is a need for the co-existence of humans and

wildlife to be balanced. This balance is in jeopardy as

many plants and animals are being threatened or endangered

as a result of habitat loss. Human contact tends to

contribute to the depletion of critical habitats.

Researchers have reported that the lack of designated

critical habitats and recovery plans for endangered

species is resulting in endangerment or extinction

(Taylor, Suckling, & Rachlinski, 2005).

4

Environmental' education is necessary in order to

teach children about the direct effect of their actions on

wildlife and habitats. Without developing a sense of

environmental responsibility and stewardship in children

at an early age, we risk the likelihood that future

generations will continue to threaten the existence of

many species leading to endangerment and extinction.

Wildlife education at the second grade level is the

focus of this project. It is based on the goal of building

a citizenry that is environmentally aware and

knowledgeable about the existence of wildlife outside of

local zoos or non-human inhabited areas. Environmental

education, integrated into other basic skills, is critical

for achieving this environmental awareness in children.

Environmental education is important because it can help

build critical thinking and decision-making skills so

children will grow up with a better understanding of the

importance of wildlife and our environment. If teachers

relied on teaching students about the environment during

science only, many teachers may not find the time or

resources to do this, as some schools lack science

curricula. I believe there is a need in public education

to bring science and environmental education back into the

core curriculum, and one solution is to integrate the

5

subjects while connecting the 'lessons to the California

Content Standards.

Local wildlife education, as presented in this guide,

is supported by the benefits of place-based education.

Students who engage in hands-on, relevant learning about

their local environment, have been shown to have higher

self-esteem and score higher on academic tests, and have

higher attendance (Leiberman & Hoody, 1998; Loveland,

2003; Smith, 2002).

In summary, this guide aims to enhance the quality of

life for species in the local environment while improving

the learning experiences of the students involved.

6

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

To develop lessons for teaching about local habitat

and wildlife, I.looked at the history of environmental

education, place-based education and standards in

education. By researching the history, I was better able

to construct lessons that support the goals of

environmental education. Researching place-based education

provided information on student learning in place-based

settings and how these settings contribute to students'

understanding of the environment as well as academic

achievement and positive citizenship. Finally researching

standards in education provided a framework within which

to construct the lessons, focusing on both California

Content Standards and environmental principles.

History of Environmental Education

Since the 1960s, environmental educators have

recognized that urbanization has led to a diminished

understanding of human dependency on natural resources

(Stapp, et al., 1969, p. 31). Environmental educators have

since attempted to encourage responsible environmental

citizenry by increasing human awareness and understanding

of community problems as it pertains to the environment.

7

According to Stapp, et al., environmental education is

"...aimed at producing a citizenry that is knowledgeable

concerning the biophysical environment and its associated

problems, aware of how to help solve these problems, and

motivated to work toward their solution"(1969, p. 31).

Also Stapp et al. went on to write that environmental

education should be designed to reach learners of all ages

and should focus on community environment and problems

associated with that environment.

The goals of environmental education have been based

on providing students with experiences in the environment

in order to gain ecological knowledge and an "...awareness

and concern about environmental interactions with urban

and rural systems..." (Simmons, 1998, p. 23) In additional

efforts to propel the development of environmental

education in public education curriculum, The Tbilisi

Declaration was also proposed in 1977. As a result of the

world's first Intergovernmental Conference on

Environmental Education, The Tbilisi Declaration was

adopted which declared that "Environmental education

should be provided for all ages, at all levels and in both

formal and non-formal education" (The Tbilisi Declaration,

2001, p. 13). It also aimed to set forth preparation of

individuals through understanding problems and attaining

■ 8

skills for improving and protecting the environment. Of

the proposed goals and principles of The Tbilisi

Declaration, four are particularly relevant to the

development of this curriculum guide. As stated in the

declaration,

...to provide every person with opportunities to

acquire the knowledge, values, attitudes,

commitment and skills needed to protect and

improve the environment; to create new patterns

of behavior of individuals, groups and society

as a whole towards the environment; be

interdisciplinary in its approach, drawing on

the specific content of each discipline in

making possible a holistic and balanced

perspective; and relate environmental

sensitivity, knowledge, problem-solving skills

and values clarification to every age, but with

special emphasis on environmental sensitivity to

the learner's own community in early years.

(2001, p. 15-16)

In addition to The Tbilisi Declaration, other

blueprints have emphasized providing environmental

education for all ages and levels and have urged the need

9

for cross curricular integration. According to the World

Commission on Environment and Development in 1987:

Environmental education should be included in

and should run throughout the other disciplines

of the formal education curriculum at all

levels-to foster a sense of responsibility for

the state of the environment and to teach

students how to monitor, protect, and improve

it. (in Westing, 1993, para. 7)

It has long been acknowledged that environmental

education is a critical element for human well-being and

survival (Westing, 1993). With trends in resource

depletion and species endangerment continuing,

environmental education is the roadmap for developing new

ways of thinking (Westing, 1993). It has been suggested

that cultural norms include new concepts such as thinking

in terms of future generations and the effects of human's

actions as well as "...the rights of the other living things

with which humans share the Earth" (Westing, 1993, para.

7). Furthermore, 131 parties to the Convention on the

Rights of the Child agreed that "...the education of the

child shall be directed to...the development of respect

for the natural environment" (in Westing, 1993, para. 3).

10

The Tbilisi Declaration propelled a movement toward

environmental education integration through curricula

guides, teacher training, and outdoor field experiences.

However, a report by Kirk, Wilke and Ruskey showed that

environmental education programs are inconsistent and

incomprehensive (2001). Their study defined a model aimed

at providing data regarding the comprehensiveness of

environmental education programs in the United States. The

model of a comprehensive program was defined as consisting

of 16 components that identified program, structure, and

funding components. Data were collected to survey the

status of environmental education in the U.S. and results

indicated that "...no state has all 16 components in

place..." (Kirk, et al., 2001, p. 60). Although no state

had all 16 components of a comprehensive environmental

education program in place, a comparison study, surveying

173 state environmental education leaders and the programs

they had in place, found that the number of components

increased from 263 in 1995 to 334 in 1998 (Wilke, 2001,

p. 63) .

Since environmental education (EE) can be aligned

with the goals of education to "...foster societal values

and promote certain desirable behaviors, the goals of EE

could be viewed as being very consistent with general

11

education goals..." (Culen, 2001, p. 37). The ability for

environmental education to become an integrated part of

general education curriculum is important in the

development of active learning communities where

"...learners share ideas, expertise, and prompt continued

inquiry" (Simmons, 2001, p. 67)..

The placement of comprehensive environmental

education programs in all education settings may not be

consistent; however, education is moving toward an

increase of comprehensive environmental education programs

which will lead to environmental literacy (Kirk, et al.,

2001, p. 60). There is a need for more well-developed

cross curricular environmental education. How education

arrives at creating effective environmental education

depends on several factors including, "...differences

among school systems, community support and awareness of

EE, state agency personnel support for EE, and the state's

political climate all ensure that each state will find its

own way towards creating a strong and effective EE

program" (Kirk, et al., 2001, p. 62).

Environmental education is a valuable and necessary

tool that can be used to educate future generations about

global ecological threats and to improve environmental

behavior. "Most environmental psychologists and educators

12

believe that environmental education (EE) is linked to

environmental behavior" (Zelenzy, 2001, p. 235). As a

means of fostering responsible environmental behavior,

elementary educators can integrate environmental education

across all curricula. The value and importance of

environmental education integration are evident by

statements from the World Conservation Union, the United

Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Wide

Fund for Nature stressing that "...governments, through

central and local education authorities, should review the

present state of environmental education (including social

education) and should make it a part of all courses at

primary and secondary, and many at tertiary level" (in

Westing, 1993, para. 10).

Place-Based Education

Place-based education allows students to experience

learning developed around real issues and needs. Providing

environmental relevance stimulates academic achievement

and positive citizenship. Students are also able to solve

real life problems and achieve accountability by helping

to improve local communities (Loveland, 2003, para 2).

Simmons reported that environmental education programs

that provide opportunities for students to work hands-on

13

and in the place are responsible for student achievement.

She wrote,

Well constructed environmental education

programs are learner-centered, providing

students with opportunities to construct their

own understandings through hands-on, minds-on

investigations. Learners are engaged in direct

experiences and are challenged to use

higher-order thinking skills. (2001, p. 66)

Place-based education is a structure or method of

teaching that involves using place, or the relevant

environment (i.e., the outdoors), as a context for

learning (Smith, 2002) . Place-based education integrates

subjects such as language arts, mathematics, and the

sciences with social, cultural, economic, political, and

natural environments (Smith, 2002). The benefits of

place-based education for students are increased

accountability and improved .academic performance

(Loveland, 2003), increased self esteem, improved behavior

and higher grade point averages (Smith, 2002).

Students attending schools with place-based education

programs showed an increased enthusiasm for and engagement

in learning, greater independence and responsibility, and

a greater sense of pride and ownership compared to

14

traditional school settings (Lieberman & Hoody, 1998,

p. 19.) Lieberman and Hoody (1998) conducted a study of 40

schools in the United States using Environment as an

Integrating Context (EIC) programs and reported that,

"...within an environment-based context, student

enthusiasm and engagement, as well as a sense of pride and

ownership, work together to improve self-control and

decrease discipline and classroom management problems"

(Lieberman & Hoody, 1998, p. 19).

The Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (AKRSI) founded

in 1995, has been documenting student achievement as

related to the use of place-based education. AKRSI found

that "students in AKRSI districts are exposed to a variety

of place-based education projects that help improve their

academic performance" (Loveland, 2003, para 7). According

to the AKRSI documentation of eighth-grade CAT 5 math

scores, students in 20 of 48 rural school districts using

place-based education, over a four year period, showed

gains in their scores, with 24.3 percent of students

performing in upper quartile (Loveland, 2003, para 5).

Conservation biologists recognize the need for

increased environmental education in school yard settings.

According to Carol Brewer (2002), "finding ways to

reconnect people to nature, through relevant experiences

15

in school, work, and recreation, is a critical

challenge..." (p. 577). Schoolyards can be used as science

laboratories rich with diversity, structure, and complex

systems. Environmental education can easily be integrated

when place-based education occurs in the schoolyard or

community setting. Wildlife is abundant in these local

areas and is readily available for place-based

cross-curricular environmental learning. Although schools

in rural settings may have more abundant wildlife, city or

urban schools have many ecological lessons waiting in

their backyards. Shrubs, trees, and ponds contain a

variety of ecosystems and environmental exploration

possibilities. Through using schoolyards as ecological

laboratories "teachers and students discover... science is

not only a corpus of knowledge, but also one way of

knowing the world around us" (Brewer, 2002, p. 577). It

has been reported that "...even a short outdoor learning

experience can have a positive influence on the future

environmental attitudes of children" (Brewer, 2002,

p. 577) .

Place-based activities are successful in reaching a

multitude of learners for several reasons (Smith, 2002).

First, place-based education supports student

individuality and critical thinking by centering the

16

curriculum around student inquiry. Second, place-based

education allows students to be active recipients of their

learning by focusing on the production rather than the

consumption of knowledge. Finally, projects that emphasize

place-based learning provide direct experiences of the

world. Teachers become facilitators and focus on guiding

instruction rather than constructing' the'learning for the

student. "By locating learning in the lives and concerns

of students and their communities, place-based education

takes advantage of students' natural interest in the world

and their desire to be valued by others" (Smith, 2002,

p. 30). Through these processes, children engage in

learning and directly contribute to the improvement of

school and community as related to the environment while

improving academically and behaviorally.

Standards in Education

National and state standards in education were

designed to "...delineate the knowledge and skill bases of

their respective fields...to define what students should

know and be able to do..." to be considered literate in

the core subjects. (Simmons, 2001, p. 65) With the focus

in California education on content standards, it is

imperative that environmental education also be standards

17

driven. Although environmental education is not yet part

of the content standards, it can be integrated across a

variety of core subject matter in order to be accepted as

relevant and necessary. The integration of environmental

concepts into other curricula allows for environmental

education to become an integral part of learning rather

than a separate subject matter. Considering core subject

standards, environmental education can easily become a

means of teaching those concepts. "Environmental education

has the potential of linking the K-12 curriculum,

providing the opportunity to meet the requirements of the

core disciplines by creating a comprehensive and cohesive

program of study" (Simmons, 2001, p. 67).

The Education and the Environment Initiative is

currently' being implemented in California by the

California Environmental Protection Agency and the

California Waste Management Board. The initiative was

developed to increase environmental literacy in elementary

and secondary schools. The environmental principles,

developed through the initiative, define what students

should know to be considered environmentally literate and

"...mandate the development of a unified strategy to bring

education about the environment into California's primary

and secondary schools" (California Environmental

18

Protection Agency, 2003). These environmental principles

were developed to be used in conjunction with content

standards. The principles focus on educating students

about ecosystems and the relationship with human

societies, natural system cycles, the exhange of matter

between natural systems and human societies, and decisions

affecting resources and natural systems (California

Environmental Protection Agency, 2003).

19

CHAPTER THREE

Methodology

Wildlife All Around Us: A Second Grade Curriculum

Guide to Local Wildlife was developed for. second grade

students. Whether these students live in affluent or

lower-socioeconomic areas, these lessons could be

adaptable to reach a wide array of student populations.

The objectives in the lessons are aimed at students

learning about the habitat and wildlife in their local

community, based on science and environmental principles.

Lessons include vocabulary, introductions to concepts, and

background knowledge as well as exploration and

problem-solving activities. The activities will help

engage students by accessing prior knowledge and personal

experiences and providing an understanding of new

vocabulary and concepts through exploration and

place-based experiences.

Development

The lessons are based on California State Content

Standards for Language Arts (California Department of

Education, 1998) and California State Content Standards

for Science (California Department of Education, 1998) for

second grade. Also included are environmental principles

20

(California Environmental Protection Agency, 2003) so that

elementary educators are able to integrate environmental

concepts into the core curriculum (see Appendix D). Thus

the lessons meet state standards in language arts and

science and the new environmental principles while

providing valuable environmental learning experiences

inside and outside of the classroom. Children's literature

and music are also incorporated to access all learning

modalities and provide a well-rounded, easily integrated,

cross-curricular approach to environmental education.

Design

Many of the lessons focus on exploration activities

and are place-based in the local community. The intent is

to bring students outside where learning can be

experienced first-hand. The goal is for second grade

students to be able to experience, explore, and develop a

clear understanding of the relationship between humans and

wildlife as it pertains to their local community. Students

should gain an understanding of local habitats and

wildlife in the city. Through place-based activities,

students should also develop a sense of environmental

responsibility and an increased interest in improving the

community for local wildlife.

21

This guide was written with the intention of

providing a curriculum or lesson ideas for teachers in

Southern California city schools to use in and around

their schoolyard environments, eliminating the need to

take a costly and time-consuming field trips elsewhere.

Often field trips require fund-raising or budget approval

as well as efficient planning and preparation on part of

the classroom teacher. There is much - wildlife and habitat

education that can occur at school, but teachers need to

be aware of the possibilities.

Lesson ideas for this guide were based primarily on

current local environmental concerns such as solid waste

pollution, limited recycling practices in schools, and

disturbed local habitats. Some activities in environmental

curriculum guides such as Project Learning Tree (American

Forest Foundation, 2002) and Project WILD (Council for

Environmental Education, 2002) were also examined for

ideas. The lessons and activities were created through

personal teaching experience as an elementary educator

teaching environmental concepts to second-graders through

language arts, science, and math for several years. All of

the lessons in this guide were field tested with my own

students and are a compilation of environmental learning

activities I have developed over the years.

22

This guide is divided into two categories of

environmental education: local habitat and local wildlife.

The first, local habitat, explores the local natural

habitat found in and■around a schoolyard setting (see

Appendix A). Lessons focus on defining habitat, exploring

these habitats, and identifying pollution affecting these

areas. Problem solving activities aim to provide

opportunities for students to apply their knowledge of

habitats and are included by having them analyze,

synthesize, and evaluate ways to combat pollution of solid

waste in local habitats.

The second category, local wildlife, focuses on

defining wildlife in urban settings and exploring for

signs of wildlife that depend on the habitats in and

around the schoolyard setting (see Appendix B). Students

are provided with opportunities to problem solve and think

critically about the coexistence of wildlife and humans in

urban areas. The lessons provided can be adapted to the

local setting and are not limited to a select group of

wildlife.

Summary

The lessons in this guide were developed to help

students understand the importance of being

23

environmentally responsible and realize the power they can

have as citizens of the Earth to make a difference. The

idea of sustainability and conservation of local wildlife

is explored as a means of solving current problems

identified by the students.

24

CHAPTER FOUR

IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATORS

Wildlife All Around Us: A Second Grade Curriculum

Guide to Local Wildlife presents lessons by which teachers

will be able to incorporate the outdoors as a means of

teaching and providing opportunities for inquiry. The

guide was developed with the goal that teachers would be

able to expand on lessons provided as needed and choose

appropriate lessons to integrate across the curriculum.

The intention of this guide was not to provide a

comprehensive science or environmental education program.

It was intended to give teachers a foundation upon which

they could begin to incorporate environmental education

into the core subjects. The lessons were also designed to

provide teachers a starting point or general ideas on how

to teach about habitat and local wildlife.

There is also a concern with the likelihood that this

curriculum guide would be used by teachers in the current

curriculum-mandated era of education, where standards and

single-adoption programs are the norm. It is unlikely that

a guide such as this would be used in schools or districts

where mandated, fully-implemented language arts based

programs take precedence. Especially concerning is the

25

current trend of science being eliminated altogether in

elementary classrooms as a result of a complete focus on

language arts and math. \ '

Environmental education has been recognized by many

environmentalists and educators as an .important and much

needed component of our education goals. With current

environmental threats on the rise, it is becoming more

evident that our children need to gain the knowledge and

understanding of how human actions affect our natural

environments. Research supports the effectiveness of

place-based education increasing students' ability to

succeed in the classroom. (Loveland, 2003, p. 6)

This guide provides local wildlife lessons that can

be easily integrated and require limited resources and

preparation by the classroom teacher. By basing the

lessons on state standards for core subjects, these

lessons can meet the ever growing demands placed on

teachers to ensure all educational experiences are aligned

with the state expectations for that grade level.

26

APPENDIX A

HABITAT LESSONS

27

Background Information: What is a Habitat?

Habitat refers to the natural home or environment of an organism.

This would include any natural space used by wildlife as a home and the

surroundings depended upon for survival. Examples of habitat in or around

the schoolyard would include trees, shrubs, grass areas, parks, and any

space that is inhabited by some form of wildlife (i.e., insects, birds,

reptiles, and mammals). A habitat serves as a means of living for these

organisms. A habitat provides food, water, and shelter to wildlife.

Organisms need to survive in habitats often intruded upon by

human activity, including schoolyards and community parks. Trees or

shrubs are sometimes removed and human activity and traffic may disrupt

a habitat. Although human activity can devastate a habitat and negatively

off ect the wildlife which depend on it, there are many action steps

humans, including children, can take in order to ensure that this

interaction is positive.

The lessons in this section are aimed at teaching second grade

children about the ways in which they can help to protect habitats in local

communities. The lessons are intended to allow students to obtain

background knowledge about habitats in local communities, explore local

habitats and record findings, and develop an environmentally responsible

attitude,toward taking care of local habitats.

28

Materials for lessons:

Activity Sheets 1-8 (duplicate for students), journals, index cards,

pencils, markers

Suggested Literature:

1. Flemming, Denise (1996). Where Once There Was a Wood.

Henry Holt and Company.

2. Baylor, Byrd (1987). The Desert is Theirs. Aladdin Paperbacks.

3. Dowden, Ann O (1972). Wild Green Things in the City: A Book of

Weeds. Crowell Publishing.

4. Baker, Jeannie (1991). Window. Harper Collin's Children's Books.

5. Baker, Jeannie (2004). Belonging. Walker Books, LTD.

6. Madden, Don (1986). The Wartville Wizard. Aladdin Paperbacks.

29

California Principles and Standards for Second Grade met

by Lessons:

California Environmental Principles:

Principles Ic., lie., IIIc., IVa., IVb., Va.

California Language Arts Standards:

Reading Comprehension 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6

Literary Response and Analysis 3.2

Writing Strategies 1.1,1.2

Writing Applications 2.1, 2.2

Written and Oral English Language Conventions 1.1-1.8

Listening and Speaking Strategies 1.1,1.2,1.3,1.5,1.6,1.8,1.9

Speaking Applications 2.2

California Science Standards:

Investigation and Experimentation 4a, 4c, 4d, 4g

30

Lesson 1: Introduction to Local Habitat

Objectives:

1. Students will be able to define habitat.

2. Students will be able to identify the characteristics of a

habitat.

Instruction:

1. Complete a graphic organizer called a KWL chart. First have

students brainstorm what they know about habitat. Write

down all responses, correct or not. Pass around books or

pictures of different kinds of habitat (trees, rivers, forests,

deserts, fields, etc.). Record students' questions of what

they want to know about habitats. As you continue with the

lessons and activity ideas, chart answers to students'

questions as they come up under what we have learned about

habitats.

Example KWL chart:

What we KNOW about habitats

What we WANT to know about habitats

What we haveLEARNED about

habitats

(student responses) (student questions)(facts about habitats that answer questions)

2. Use "What is Habitat?" Worksheet (Activity 1) to complete

chart with students. The teacher copy can be used as an

overhead transparency or copied on a large chart paper. Fill

31

in ideas on the transparency or chart as students fill in their

own paper copies. Discuss and examine what makes a natural

space a habitat. Predict possible habitats in and around the

schoolyard setting.

Activities:

1. Write habitat poems (acrostic, diamonte, haiku) using

features discussed and charted in Lesson 1.

2. Sing Habitat Songs (Activity 2).

Make copies for students or rewrite on large chart paper.

Teach the song and use this as an opportunity to

introduce/review vocabulary and concepts related to

habitats.

32

Activity 1

What Is Habitat?

Student Page

33

Activity 1

What Is Habitat?

Teacher Page

34

Activity 2:

Habitat Songs

Tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb

Nature is so beautiful, beautiful, beautiful;Nature is so beautiful, all throughout the year.

Trees and plants give us oxygen, oxygen, oxygen;Trees and plants give us oxygen, all throughout the year.

Busy animals make their homes, find their food, raise their young; Busy animals need their homes, all throughout the year.

We have many habitats, habitats, habitats;We can see many habitats, all throughout the year.

Tune: Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

Nature and all the habitats,

Are great places to explore;

Looking at all of the plants and trees,

Beautiful animals, spiders, and bees.

Protect the things all around you,

Pollution like trash will destroy...

Our great, grand, beautiful earth,

It's the land we adore!

35

Lesson 2: Habitat Explorations

Objectives: <U A ' ,

1. Students will be able to identify habitats in their local

communities.

2. Students will be able to write or draw descriptions of

observations of local habitats.

3. Students will be able to make predictions based on observed

patterns in local habitats.

4. Students will be able to compare and sort common leaves

with two or more physical attributes.

5. Students will be able to follow oral instructions for a

scientific investigation on habitat.

Instruction:

1. Use "Schoolyard Habitats" Worksheet (Activity 3) and take

a "field" trip around the school. Visit each of the listed

habitats to look for food and shelter for wildlife. Ask,

■ Does this area provide food and shelter for wildlife?

(knowledge, comprehension)

■ Why is this area a habitat for wildlife? (analysis)

■ How will this area look in 10 years? (synthesis)

■ Should we take care of this habitat? (evaluation)

36

As you are visiting each possible habitat area; have students

record answers to these questions.

2. “Leaf Me Alone!"(Activity .Sheef 4).

Students will compare two leaves using physical attributes

such as color, texture, shape, and size. Take class outside

and have students (solo, partners, or te.ams) collect an

assortment of leaves. Then have them draw or attach their

leaf samples to the activity sheet. They should compare each

leaf according to its physical attributes.

3. Habitat Habits

Read Window and Belonging by Jeannie Baker. Discuss the

changes that occurred in both stories. Make a list of the

positive and negative affects of these changes to the local

habitat.

Example chart:

■ PositiveChanges

NegativeChanges

Window

Belonqinq

Explore the changes in a habitat over time. Each student

chooses a specific schoolyard habitat to study. Using a

journal or log book, students record daily or weekly

37

characteristics of that habitat. This activity is meant to be a

long-term exploration to allow students to see the natural

changes in an environment as related to weather and human

disturbances. They should be able to understand the

relationship between human activity and wildlife in the

habitat they are studying. Ask:

■ Has your habitat changed in appearance?

■ Are there any new signs of wildlife you have

discovered?

■ Did wildlife seem to go away?

■ Did anything disrupt your habitat?

■ Is there evidence that people were here?

3. "A Few Of My Favorite Things (Activity 5).

Students will explore schoolyard habitats and connect with

this environment by identifying and listing their favorites

related to the natural environment. Take students outside or

to a local community park to complete the sentence starters.

They should record their favorites with words (nouns),

pictures and adjectives to describe what they experience.

Activities:

1. Go outside and have students choose a quiet place to sit. Ask

students to record on an index card all of the characteristics

about being outside they like (i.e;, trees, birds, sounds of

wind, the feel of the grass, smells, flowers, watching insects,

38

etc.) After 5-10 minutes, regroup and ask students to share

their thoughts. Connect the idea of nature and habitat to the

schoolyard setting. Point out that even in urban or city

environments, there are many natural habitats to explore.

2. Habitat Poster. Students create a poster illustrating the

different habitats explored and discovered in the

schoolyard. Have them label these areas and the wildlife that

depends on this habitat. You may chose to have students

share their posters with others or even post them around

the school for others to see.

39

Activity 3:

Habitat Food for WildlifeShelter for

WildlifeProblems With

Areatree

MRS

?bush or shrub

JSE^9

omF

grass area or field

f v - - .‘•-4 :-5 •

k. -■•'»« --■' : ' ••:'*[M » **"»a»i|©tSC, 3 fcjfrifc 1 * _« _ *p.- j _ '5 £ * «e>£ .

dirtSj4"iJT' .v< \i7£ *^r'Mv V ;PS?W§rit. A ’ M ’fi: ijrfp

FKw^^SilfcuS?^ ”^:SaK£t*&Kf

40

Activity 4:

Leaf Me Alone!

V'7’

LEAF color texture size shape

41

Activity 5:

A Few of My Favorite Things

1. My favorite color in nature is . '' ' ■ '

2. My favorite shape in nature is - ■ • . ■ ' .

3. My favorite sound in nature 'is' ,

4. My favorite thing to touch is , . ' „ ' - , '

5. My favorite thing to look at is ■ _________ ______ '

6. My favorite place to sit is ' • _________ .. ■

7. My favorite smell is _______

8. My favorite place to go is _________ •, ' „ . .

Draw one of your favorite things:

42

Lesson 3: Habitat Protection

Objectives:

1. Students will be able to make predictions based on observed

patterns in and around schoolyard habitats.

2. Students will be able to predict and generalize the effects

of human activity on local habitats.

3. Students will be able to problem-solve and think critically

about an environmental issue related to habitat.

Instruction:

L Read The WartyiIJe Wizard by Don Madden.

a. Stop half way through the story (before the problem

is solved) and allow students to come up with solutions

of their own for the townspeople and the problem of

solid waste pollution.

b. Continue reading story and discuss the outcome. Do

they think it was a good solution? What do they think

the town will look like in 10 years? Will people forget

the lesson they learned?

c. Students create posters to post around the school

reminding Students to place their trash in its proper

■ ■ -place.-' ' ‘

43

2. "School Ground Survey" (Activity 6).

Students should take a survey of schoolyard waste by

completing the activity sheet. Students brainstorm ways to

recycle solid waste in school. Have them design a plan for

implementing a recycling program: (i.e., aluminum cans, paper,

and plastic bottles). Allow students the opportunity to

introduce the recycling program to the entire school and

manage the program as well. They may wish to buddy up with

older students. Extend the recycling by involving parents and

community members. A plan should be made on how the funds

earned from recycling materials will be used (i.e., books for

the library, field trips).

3. "Habitat Helpers" (Activity 7).

Students read about possible habitat problems in urban

settings and brainstorm possible Solutions:

a. , Have teams role play how these habitat problems

might be solved.

b. Create solution posters campaigning to the school or

community what steps Should be taken to solve the

habitat problem

c. Write letters to local community leaders expressing

concern and plausible solutions to the habitat

problems.

44

4. "Do You Need Me? I'm a Tree" (Activity 8).

Students identify the need for trees in urban areas.

Brainstorm together or allow groups of students to

brainstorm four benefits a tree provides, using the graphic

organizer. Share ideas and write them on sentence strips.

Have students put their ideas in order of importance

according to what they value. Values can be categorized and

may include beauty (aesthetic), money (economic), wildlife

(environmental), or play (recreational) importance.

Aesthetically valuing trees means students find trees visually

appealing and enjoy their beauty. Economic value focuses on

what we gain from trees financially (i.e., wood and paper).

Environmental values are based on what trees provide for the

environment (i.e., oxygen and shelter for animals).

Recreational values focus on what we gain from trees for

play or fun (i.e, climbing).

Lead students in a discussion about these values and have

them organize their ideas or number on their graphic

organizer the order of importance for each value. Allow

different student opinions to be expressed as this will

encourage them to listen and consider varying viewpoints.

Conclude with the idea that we need trees for all of these

reasons and each value is important.

45

5. A Look into the Future:

Reread Window and Belonqinq to students discussing the

changes that happen over time:

a. Review chart created in Lesson 2, part 3 (Habitat

Habits). Discuss with students what actions can be

taken to solve some of the negative effects of

urbanization on local habitats. Ideas might include

keeping areas clean, recycling, maintaining natural

areas (i.e., gardens, landscaping), and respecting

habitats by leaving them alone.

b. Have students create a picture of their schoolyard or

community habitat as it is now on one side of the paper

and a vision of what they think it will look like in the

future on the other side. Illustrations should parallel

the discussions, explorations, and problem-solving

experiences thus far in order for students to predict

the level of change human activity may have on that

habitat.

46

Activity 6:

School Ground Survey

1. Whot kind of trash do you see?

2. What did you find in these areas?

3. Where is most trash located?

4. Where is most trash coming from?

47

Activity 7:

Habitat Helpers

Habitat Helpers #1:

You and your friends are walking home from school and notice some

trash on the ground. The trash is near a storm drain and could eventually

end up in the ocean. What do you do?

Habitat Helpers #2:

You and your friends go to a park and notice some other kids your

age stomping on some flowers and writing on trees. What do you do?

Habitat Helpers #3:

Your family decides to take a walk around your neighborhood.

During your walk, someone in your family throws a piece of trash on the

ground. What do you do?

4 8

Activity 8:

Do You Need Me? I'm A Tree,

What good comes from trees in our community?

49

APPENDIX B

WILDLIFE LESSONS

50

Background Information: What is Wildlife?

Wildlife refers to any organism that lives in a natural space without

the reliance of humans for survival: Wildlife includes plants, trees,

insects, spiders, birds, reptiles, and mammals. Wildlife, as referred to in

this guide, does not attempt to exclude organisms, but rather provide an

umbrella under which those organisms found in natural settings can be

categorized. For student understanding, wildlife does not refer solely to

wild animals in nature because as much wildlife exists in urban settings.

Some possible urban wildlife includes ants, spiders, worms, hummingbirds,

lizards, squirrels, opossums, bats, and raccoons.

It is important that students understand that wildlife and nature

are not exclusively found in ecosystems such as forests and deserts.

Schoolyards and community parks contain an abundance of wildlife, with

their natural habitats to be explored, appreciated, and cared-for. The

lessons in this section aim to build background knowledge of what wildlife

is, how to identify signs of wildlife, and how human interactions with

wildlife affect their survival.

51

Materials for wildlife lessons: Activity Sheets 9-15 (duplicate for

students), pencils, markers, magnifying glasses, camera (optional), index

cards

Suggested Literature:

1. Farber, Norma (1979). Never Say Ugh to a Bug. Greenwillow.

2. Peet, Bill (1969). Fly Homer Fly. Houghton Mifflin Publishing.

3. Wildsmith, Brian (1975). Squirrels. Franklin Watts.

4. Bash, Barbara (1990). Urban Roosts: Where Birds Nest in

the City. Sierra Book Clubs.

5. Fredericks, Anthony D (2001). Under One Rock: Bugs, Slugs,

and Other Uqhs. A Sharing Nature with Children Book.

6. Davies, Nicola (2001). Bat Loves the Night, Candlewick Press.

7. Bishop, Nic (2002). Backyard Detective: Critters Up Close,

Kazoo Books.

8. Sweeney, Linda B (2001). When a Butterfly Sneezes: A Guide

for Helping Kids Explore Interconnections in Our World

Through Favorite Stories. Pegasus Communications.

52

California Principles and Standards for Second Grade met

by Lessons:

California Environmental Principles:

Principles Ila., lie., IIIc., IVa., IVc., Va.

California Language Arts Standards:

Reading Comprehension 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6

Literary Response and Analysis 3.2

Writing Strategies 1.1,1.2

Writing Applications 2.1, 2.2

Written and Oral English Language Conventions 1.1-1.8

Listening and Speaking Strategies 1.1,1.2,1.3,1.5,1.6,1.8,1.9

Speaking Applications 2.2

California Science Standards:

Investigation and Experimentation 4a, 4d, 4f, 4g

53-

Lesson 4: Introduction to Local Wildlife

Objectives:

1. Students will be able to define wildlife as it pertains to

urban communities.

2. Students will be able to identify wildlife in their local

community.

Instruction:

1. Read selected literature.about local or urban wildlife, such as

the books listed at the beginning of this section. Discuss

wildlife as it pertains to your students' local community.

Ask: ' " ■

a. What do you think is wildlife?

b. Have you seen or heard wildlife near school or you?

home?

c. What do you do when you spot wildlife?

Chart different forms of wildlife students discussed. List

different animals they are familiar with and have Seen or

heard in and around their community. This will serve as a

brainstorming activity to demonstrate your student's

background knowledge of local wildlife.

54

2. "Wildlife All Around Us" (Activity 9).

Complete picture chart with students by identifying and

labeling signs of vvildlife commonly found in urban settings.

Discuss how students can be good detectives by looking for

these signs when exploring local habitats.

Activities:

Sing "Wildlife Songs" (Activity 10).

Make copies for students or rewrite on large chart paper. Teach

the song and use this as an opportunity to introduce/review

vocabulary and concepts related to wildlife.

55

Activity 9

Wildlife All Around Us Y

56

Activity 9

Wildlife All Around Us

Teacher Page

57 .

Activity 10:

Wildlife Songs

Wildlife Chant

Tune: military cadence

Wildlife is all around, (students repeat)

From way up high down to the ground (students repeat)

Many species we can see (students repeat)

Insects, reptiles, birds in trees (students repeat)

Mammals, rodents, arachnids too (students repeat)

All these species depend on you (students repeat)

To keep things clean and mind your place

(students repeat)

So wildlife has a natural space (students repeat)

Sound off... wildlife!

Sound off... wildlife!

1,2,3,4... They're wild!

58

Lesson 5: Wildlife Explorations

Objectives:

1. Students will be able to identify signs of wildlife.

2. Students will be able to write or draw descriptions of

observations of local wildlife.

3. Students will be able to use magnifiers to observe and draw

descriptions of signs or features of local wildlife.

Instruction:

1. "Can You Spot Me?" (Activity 11).

Take students outside in the schoolyard or to a local

community park to explore habitats for signs of wildlife.

Allow students to explore using magnifying glasses and have

them record what they found (i.e., animal tracks, chewed

leaves, webs, holes in the ground, nests, trails). This activity

is intended to develop an understanding of what kinds of

wildlife exist in their local community.

2. "Wildlife In My Community" (Activity 12).

Read books about wildlife and complete the chart for each

animal or insect chosen. Once several kinds of wildlife have

been discussed, go out into the schoolyard, to a local park, or

vacant lot to identify these animals. You may wish to bring

binoculars and magnifying glasses. A less expensive option

would be to have each student use a toilet paper roll as a

59

"looking tube." Using a "looking tube" allows students to focus

in on specific areas. "Looking tubes" also allow students to

search for their wildlife closely since they only view a small

area at a time.

3. Read books about ants and spiders.

a. "Ants and Spiders" (Activity 13).

Complete this chart with students by labeling the

parts of the ant and spider with them. Use the

teacher copy for vocabulary and information to add to

the chart. Students use the blank form to fill in labels

and information as the teacher discusses it with them

and writes the same information on an overhead

transparency or larger chart for students to copy.

This chart will teach students about the features that

separate ants as insects and spiders as arachnids.

Discuss the differences between the two (i.e., insects

have three body parts and six legs; whereas spiders

have two body parts and eight legs).

b. Explore in and around the schoolyard for signs of ants

and spiders. Have students use magnifiers to observe

them closer up without harming the ant or spider.

Prepare your students by reminding them that they

60

are nature detectives, not nature destroyers, so they

should watch and observe without disrupting.

Activities:

1. Adopt a class insect (caterpillars, walking sticks, ant farm,

etc.) to observe and take care of. Record daily patterns

observed.

2. Keep a wildlife journal. Encourage students to record signs of

wildlife they see around their homes and communities and

human activity that might be disturbing this wildlife. They

may write or draw their observations and should be

encouraged to share their findings with others.

3. "Where's My Home?" (Activity 14).

In this activity, partners or teams of students create a

habitat and wildlife scavenger hunt by giving clues for others

to solve. One team of students will describe habitats and

provide information about the food, shelter, and

characteristics of that area. Students will need to explore

the schoolyard for habitats in order to record information

and create their scavenger hunt clues.

Once these clue sheets are created (Activity 14), other

students (partners or teams) take that sheet and go outside

to "hunt" for the habitat. Once they are able to locate the

area, they will record the wildlife they think depends on that

61

habitat by answering the last to questions on the page

Groups share back their findings with each other.

62

Activity 11:

Can You Spot Me?

Signs of wildlife:

Record different signs of wildlife you spot in your

schoolyard. Write and draw a picture of what you see.

63

Activity 12:

Wildlife In My Community

64

Activity 13:

Ants and Spiders

Student Page

65

Activity 13:

Ants and Spiders

Teacher Copy

antennae

cephalothorax: abdomen and chest

66

Activity 14:

Where's My Home?

Scavenger Hunt

Describe the following about your habitat:

1. This habitat has the color_______________in it.

2. Something special about it:

3. This habitat is near:______________________________________

4. You will find something______________________________ here.

5. You should be able to see__________________________________

Searching Team's Response

We think the habitat described above is__________________________

Wildlife that lives in this habitat:

67

Lesson 6: Wildlife Protection

Objectives:

1. Students will be able to understand and explain the

relationship between wildlife and humans.

2. Students will be able to predict the survivability of wildlife

based on human activity in the community.

3. Students will be able to problem-solve and think critically

about an issue related to wildlife in an urban setting.

Instruction:

1. "Wildlife Wonders" (Activity 15)

Students read about possible problems for wildlife in urban

settings and brainstorm possible solutions:

a. Have teams role play how humans and wildlife might

coexist peacefully.

b. Create solution posters campaigning to the school or

community what steps should be taken to solve the

problems with wildlife.

c. Write letters to local community leaders expressing

concern and plausible solutions to the problems

between humans and local wildlife.

68

2 Adopt a Species:

Students choose one local wildlife species to adopt and

educate others about.

a. Create a poster or book about species by researching

its characteristics and habitat. Students may focus on

expressing why this species needs its habitat and why

the species is beneficial to humans.

b. "Save the_____ " campaign. Students create news

articles, plays, or commercials to educate the school or

community about the importance of a specific species.

3. Students may create a wildlife museum by displaying their

books, observation journals, news articles, commercials, and

posters about wildlife in the classroom. Invite other classes

to come learn about local wildlife!

69

Activity 15:

Wildlife Wonders

Wildlife Wonders #1:

You spot a hummingbird nest in a tree. A friend of yours wants to

climb up and get the nest to take home. What do you do?

Wildlife Wonders #2

Your parents have been complaining that raccoons have been

knocking the trashcans over and making a mess. They are thinking of using

traps or poison to stop the raccoons. Do you have an idea of how they

could solve the problem without hurting the raccoons?

Wildlife Wonders #3

In the field at school are many holes where gophers live. Some of

the other kids have been stomping on the holes and sticking trash in the

holes. How can you help the other kids become nature detectives instead

of nature destroyers?

70

APPENDIX D

CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES,

ENGLISH-LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS,

AND SCIENCE STANDARDS

FOR GUIDE

71

California Environmental Principles:

Environmental Principles were developed in. 2003 as part of the

Education and the Environment Initiative (Environmental Protection

Agency, 2003) and are aimed at developing an understanding of

environmental concepts as they pertain to ecosystems and relationships

with human societies, natural systems and their cycles, the exchange of

matter between these natural systems and human societies, and decisions

that affect natural systems and resources. The lessons in this guide

attempt to provide a basis for developing a curriculum that helps students

learn about the environment while mastering the academic content

standards for second grade. The following is a list of the California

Environmental Principles that are included in the lessons in this curriculum

guide.

Principle Ic. Students need to know that the quality, quantity, and

reliability of the goods and ecosystem services provided by natural

systems are directly affected by the health of those systems.

Principle Ila. Students need to know that direct and indirect changes to

natural systems due to the growth of human populations and their

consumption rates influence the geographic extent, composition,

biological diversity, and viability of natural systems.

Principle lie. Students need to know that the expansion and operation of

human communities influence the geographic extent, composition,

biological diversity, and viability of natural systems.

72

Principle IIIc. Students need to know that human practices can alter the

cycles and processes that operate within natural systems.

Principle IVa. Students need to know that the effects of human activities

on natural systems are directly related to the quantities of

resources consumed and to the quantity and characteristics of the

resulting byproducts.

Principle IVb. Students need to know that the byproducts of human

activity are not readily prevented from entering natural system and

may be beneficial, neutral, or detrimental in their effect.

Principle IVc. Students need to know that the capacity of natural systems

to adjust to human-caused alterations depends on the nature of the

system as well as the scope, scale, and duration of the activity and

the nature of its byproducts.

Principle Va. Students need to know the spectrum of what is considered in

making decisions about resources and natural systems and how

those factors influence decisions.

73

California English-Language Arts Content Standards:

The California English-Language Arts Content Standards for

California Public Schools (California Department of Education, 1998) focus

on reading, writing, written and oral English language conventions, listening

and speaking, and speaking applications. The following standards are

included in the lessons and activities in this curriculum guide and will

assist teachers in understanding which standards were focused on and

integrated with the Environmental Principles.

Reading Comprehension

2.2- State the purpose in reading.

2.3- Use knowledge of the author's purpose(s) to comprehend

informational text.

2.4- Ask clarifying questions about essential textual elements of

exposition (e.g., why, what if, how).

2.5- Restate facts and details in the text to clarify and organize

ideas.

2.6- Recognize cause-and-effect relationships in text.

Literary Response and Analysis

3.2- Generate alternative endings to plots and identify the reason

or reasons for, and the impact of, the alternatives.

74

Writing Strategies

1.1- Group related ideas and maintain a consistent focus.

1.2 Create readable documents with legible handwriting.

Writing Applications

2.1- Write brief narratives based on their experiences

2.2- Write a friendly letter complete with the date, salutation,

body, closing, and signature.

Written and Oral English Language Conventions

1.1- Distinguish between complete and incomplete sentences.

1.2- Recognize and use the correct word order in written

sentences.

1.3- Identify and correctly use various parts of Speech, including

nouns and verbs, in writing and speaking.

1.4- Use commas in the greeting and closure of a letter and with

dates and items in a series.

1.5- Use quotation marks correctly.

1.6- Capitalize all proper nouns, words at the beginning of

sentences and greetings, months and days of the week, and

titles and initials of people.

1.7- Spell frequently used, irregular words correctly (e.g., was,

were, says, said, who, what, why).

75

1.8- Spell basic short-vowel, long-vowel, r-controlled, and

consonant-blend patterns correctly.

Listening and Speaking

1.1- Determine the purpose or purposes of listening (e.g., to

obtain information, to solve problems, for enjoyment).

1.2- Ask for clarification and explanation of stories and ideas.

1.3- Paraphrase information that has been shared orally by

others.

1.4- Give and follow three- and four-step directions.

1.5- Organize presentations to maintain a clear focus.

1.6- Speak clearly and at an appropriate pace for the type of

communication (e.g., informal discussion, report to class).

1.7- Recount experiences in a logical sequence.

1.8- Retell stories, including characters, setting, and plot.

1.9- Report on a topic with supportive facts and details.

Speaking Applications

2.2- Report on a topic with facts and details, drawing from

several sources of information.

76

California Science Standards

The California Science Standards (California Department of

Education, 1998) are broken down into categories of Physical Sciences (1),

Life Sciences (2), Earth Sciences (3), and Investigation and

Experimentation (4). The lessons in this guide focus mostly on

investigation and experimentation as the other categories for second

grade science standards were not applicable to the content of this guide.

4a. Make predictions based on observed patterns and not random

guessing.

4c. Compare and sort common objects according to two or more

physical attributes (e.g., color, shape, texture, size, weight).

4d. Write or draw descriptions of a sequence of steps, events,

and observations.

4f. Use magnifiers or microscopes to observe and draw

descriptions of small objects or small features of objects.

4g. Follow oral instructions for a scientific investigation.

77

REFERENCES

American Forest Foundation. (2002). Project Learning Tree: Environmental education activity guide. Washington, DC: Author.

Brewer, C. (2002a). Conservation education partnerships in schoolyard laboratories: A call back to action. Conservation Biology, 16(3), 377-379.

California Department of Education. (1998).English-language arts content standards for California public schools: Kindergarten through grade twelve. Sacramento, CA: Author

California Department of Education. (1998). Grade twoscience content standards. Retrieved May 27, 2004, from http://www.ode.ca.gov/be/st/ss/scgrade2.asp

California Environmental Protection Agency (2003).Education and the Environment Initiative. Retrieved November 13, 2005, fromhttp://www.calepa.ca.gov/Education/Principles/EPC.pdf

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